Patent landscapes › Office, school & tools
Is a stapler patented?
Short answer: specific designs of a stapler have been patented many times, but "a stapler" as a general idea is not what is protected. What matters is the exact combination of features in your version.
What our index shows
- 2,417 US and WO patent publications since 2000 have a title matching “stapler” or a close variant (our index of 9.7 million patent families; one publication per family).
- Among the 1487 best keyword matches we examined, 660 were published in 2020 or later, and the earliest was published in 2000.
- Most frequent assignees in those matches: CILAG GMBH INT (187), MAX CO LTD (113), COVIDIEN LP (90), ETHICON LLC (66).
- Most common patent classes (CPC subclasses): A61B (926), B25C (441), B27F (168), B42B (31).
Counts come from keyword matching on titles and abstracts, so they are indicative, not a legal count. Some matches are different products that share a word.
14 real patent publications related to a stapler
- Staple driver and guide assembly for circular surgical stapler US-12433595-B2 2025 · CILAG GMBH INT
A surgical stapling instrument includes an anvil defining a plurality of staple forming pockets and a stapling head assembly. The stapling head assembly includes a body, a coupling member capable of actuating the anvil relative to…
View on Google Patents - Independently powered anvil for circular surgical stapler US-12232734-B2 2025 · CILAG GMBH INT
A surgical stapler including a body assembly; a shaft assembly that extends distally from the body assembly; a stapling head assembly disposed at a distal end of the shaft assembly, wherein the stapling head assembly is operable t…
View on Google Patents - Surgical stapler with independently actuated drivers to provide varying staple heights US-12161324-B2 2024 · CILAG GMBH INT
An apparatus includes a body assembly, a shaft assembly, and an end effector. The shaft assembly includes an outer sheath and a motorized driving mechanism. The body assembly is configured to actuate the driving mechanism. The end…
View on Google Patents - Surgical stapler with variable height drivers for uniform staple formation US-10973521-B2 2021 · ETHICON LLC
A surgical instrument and method for forming a plurality of staples in tissue of a patient includes a body having a firing mechanism, a shaft assembly, an end effector with an anvil, and a cartridge received within the end effecto…
View on Google Patents - Anvil retention and release features for powered circular surgical stapler US-11185324-B2 2021 · ETHICON LLC
A surgical instrument includes a body assembly, a shaft assembly extending distally from the body assembly, an anvil, and a stapling head assembly. The stapling head assembly includes at least one annular array of staples, a stapl…
View on Google Patents - Surgical stapler with curved outer surface on anvil US-10610219-B2 2020 · ETHICON ENDO SURGERY LLC
A surgical instrument and method of manipulating colon tissue of a patient includes a body having a firing mechanism, a shaft assembly, and an end effector operatively connected to the firing mechanism via the shaft assembly. The …
View on Google Patents - Surgical stapler cartridge with compression features at staple driver edges US-10201348-B2 2019 · ETHICON ENDO SURGERY LLC
An apparatus includes a body, a shaft assembly, an end effector, and a staple cartridge. The end effector includes an anvil and a lower jaw. The anvil is pivotable toward the lower jaw to clamp tissue. The staple cartridge is coup…
View on Google Patents - Tissue stapler anvil feature to prevent premature jaw opening US-10226246-B2 2019 · ETHICON ENDO SURGERY INC
A surgical instrument includes a handle assembly having a trigger operable to fire a staple driver to staple tissue. The instrument includes a pointed rod to which an anvil may be coupled. An anvil detection feature is included to…
View on Google Patents - Stapler with leg-flattening and anvil-limiting capability US-2013306700-A1 2013 · CHANG CHIEN-HSING
A stapler has a supporting base, a magazine assembly, a trigger assembly and a leg-flattening device. The supporting base has multiple limiting blocks to define a receiving segment by and between the limiting blocks. The leg-flatt…
View on Google Patents - Stapler with leg-flatting and anvil-guiding capability US-8186552-B2 2012 · HUANG CHI-FENG
A stapler has a supporting base, a magazine assembly, a trigger assembly, a leg-flatting device and a rail assembly. The magazine assembly and the trigger assembly are connected pivotally to the supporting base. The leg-flatting d…
View on Google Patents - Stapler having a front-loading staple magazine WO-2011045523-A1 2011 · MAPED
The invention relates to a stapler including a base (2), a front-loading staple magazine (3) extending above the base, and a cover (4) acting as a manual actuation member, the magazine and the cover being pivotably mounted at the …
View on Google Patents - Staple driver for articulating surgical stapler US-7641095-B2 2010 · TYCO HEALTHCARE
An articulating surgical instrument is provided including a handle, an articulating portion extending distally of the handle and an end effector positioned on a distal end of the articulating portion. A flexible drive band is prov…
View on Google Patents - Driver unit and electric stapler US-6896167-B2 2005 · MAX CO LTD
A driver unit comprises a fixed frame ( 12 ), an inner frame ( 20 ), a magazine ( 40 ), a cartridge ( 50 ), a driver ( 70 ) attached movably upwardly and downwardly to the magazine ( 40 ) and pivoted on the inner frame ( 20 ), and…
View on Google Patents - Staple-driver-magazine for manual frame stapler US-6595399-B1 2003 · CASSESE SOC
A stable pushing magazine for a manual frame stapler having a punch bearing a guide member in the form of a stud magnetized to hold a staple positioned against it. The magazine is in the form of an elongated, closed drawer. One fa…
View on Google Patents
What this means for your idea
Because patents cover specific combinations of features, the useful question is not “has a stapler been patented?” but “has my combination of features been described before?” Tools and office products differ in grips, adjustment mechanisms, and how blades or bits are held and changed.
Or get the full $99 report: top 10 references charted feature by feature, in 24 hours.
Guides that help with this
First-look landscape. Not exhaustive. Not legal advice. This page lists keyword-matched publications from a limited database; it does not say whether any product is or isn't covered by a patent, whether a patent is still in force, or whether your idea is patentable. Consult a registered patent attorney or agent.